Marryat, Frederick

1792 – Born on July 10th in London, England. A naval officer and the first important English novelist after Tobias Smollett to make full and amusing use of his varied experience at sea.

1806 – Marryat entered the Royal Navy at the age of 14 and served with distinction in many parts of the world.

1819 – Married to Catherine on January 21st.

– Made a Fellow of The Royal Society (FRS), proposed by Babbage.

1825 – Post Captain, Royal Navy on July 25th.

1826 – Made a Companion of The Order of the Bath.

1830 – Resigned his commission and commenced a series of novels; “Frank Mildmay,” the first, proving a success, he resolved to devote the rest of his life to literature.

1847 – He then began a series of adventure novels—including The King’s Own, Peter Simple, and Poor Jack—marked by a lucid, direct narrative style, humour, and incidents drawn from his varied experience at sea. His Children of the New Forest, set during the English Civil Wars, is a classic of children’s literature.